Old School (Arcade) Games on the Local Rebound?

I've only recently heard about the Vintage Arcade Museum in the Whitaker neighborhood here in Eugene, OR. I hope to get down there and take some video before too long - this old school pencil & paper gamer's heart is warmed to hear that someone wants to keep these old arcade machines alive!

The nearness of the Ninkasi Brewery and Izakaya Meiji (whom I've previously posted about here) is convenient - some brief liquid encouragement and its off to the arcade! Oh yeah. Right down the street from some excellent soul food, I should add...

Thursday Update: KVAL (local TV station) picked up this story for their 5 and 6pm news broadcast. They have some pictures up on their website, including this one - looks like they've applied for a liquor license. Nice.

Bourbon Schmourbon

I don’t know precisely how one goes about acquiring a sore throat in the dog days of summer, but I seem to have managed it. I blame the rug rats at the local ball game I attended the other day.

It seems an appropriate time to discuss my preferred method of treatment: the frequent application of whiskey. This evening I’ve managed to do a fair amount of damage to two different bottles of bourbon - one “Buck”, a small batch 90 proof which bills itself as a Kentucky whiskey but is bottled in San Jose. The other is George Dickel’s No.8, an 80 proof distilled in Tennessee and bottled in Connecticut.

Both of these I picked up for between $25-$30 each from the same shelf, which makes sense since they aren’t far off from one another in quality. The Buck at 90 proof is a bit paler than the Dickel No. 8, and predictably has a smaller nose. Its bottle is sexier at first glance, which should always make one slightly suspicious. In terms of medicinal value, the award would have to go to Buck, but I definitely prefer the Dickel No. 8. It just has a lot more going for it, although I wouldn’t say it’s terribly sophisticated - it just knows its way around. The Buck bills itself as the drink of cowboys and blah blah blah. The No. 8 didn’t feel the need to explain itself with a small card attached to its neck by elastic band.

I suspect a lot of bourbon is shuttled around and mixed by bottlers from the same half dozen distilleries. At some point, there’s not much point in reviewing the stuff unless it’s a very small batch. Bulleit is a good example. It's one I've thought about reviewing, but the difference between it and these other two I find pretty marginal. I suppose it might be good for a GIMPing and rebranding as “Bulette” though. I really need to get back to single malts.

Say Hello To My Little Friend

That’s my new muse. I’ve had him for about a month now. He hangs out in the office and gives me the stink eye and wiggle every time I come anywhere near him.

For some reason I thought it would be wicked to put Mr. Fishy in Mr. Aykroyd’s vodka bottle. Sans vodka of course - I mean, how cool would that be, a Siamese Fighting Fish swimming around inside a crystal skull? But I’m getting ahead of myself… I’ve already said how I’m a bit of a sucker for cool bottles. Containers of any sort, really, but liquor bottles stoke the rationalizing consumer in me all the more so. I've also said how cool I think crystal skulls are… So enter “Crystal Head Vodka”.

Far be it from me to judge the judges that awarded this a “2011 Double Gold” award, but about my own appraisal, I can only say that either I somehow got a bad batch of the stuff, or those judges are complete suckup toadies, or… well, that’s it actually. Because even the kid who sold me the stuff at the liquor store said it was no good (I didn’t care too much since I mostly just wanted the bottle). Oh yeah, that’s another thing, maybe they just put utter shite in there because they know freaks like me are going to buy the closest thing to a crystal skull that they can. I mean, you can pick one up without an internet connection - right down the street! I beg you though, please don’t buy this with booze inside.

I did. I tried it neat, and I tried to mask the vodka with some tonic. No good. Then I dumped the whole bottle into my water purifier. I’ve got one of those Burkey stainless steel water filter buckets. I emptied the water out and ran the vodka through twice before it got a little better - and then could stomach drinking the stuff with tonic water or juice. It was really that bad. Afterwards I had to run three whole buckets of water through the ceramic filters to get the taste of vodka out of my water.

It wasn’t cheap either; I got the bigger life-sized bottle. The thing is, I can’t bring myself to put the little blue devil into the thing. I’m pretty sure I could funnel him in somehow, but it seems like cleaning it would be a bitch and I’d have to continually siphon/vacuum his pissy poop water out so I wouldn’t have to keep re-funneling him in again.

Watching watcher watches.

So he’s been alternating between a glass stein a buddy of mine ripped off from a local dive, and a glass kim-chee container. I still haven’t given the little guy a name. “Frank” is tempting for obvious reasons, but suggestions are welcome.

A Phroaig and a Bigfoot

A few words on two beverages this evening...

First up: Laphroaig. A scotch - I’ve had it before, but it’s been some time and I only considered it again after reading Barad the Gnome’s recent write up. So I had this at Izakaya Meiji Company a couple days ago, and as soon as it touched the table, I immediately remembered it as one of the most smoky, peaty scotches I've ever had. My wife recoiled from the table in horror, and I began to have second thoughts. I drank the first half neat and then added just a dash of water for the second half. That opened it up nicely, but caused my wife to reel backwards again. I briefly thought my eyes might start watering, but maintained composure in the lady's presence.

For the uninitiated or non-scotch drinker, I would say that this one might cause the weak-kneed to become faint or nauseous. Not to say it's bad - far from it. It's just got a lot going on and advertises it in its bouquet without shame. Definitely your grandfather's dad's scotch, briefly evoking the memory of dangerous chemicals in a run down shed, perhaps stored in a rusting, metal container and daring you to bravely (and deeply) inhale the spirit within. I should add, with much better consequences.

Next up: Sierra Nevada’s 2011 Bigfoot Ale (a barleywine). Two words: Blew it. Or, in one word: Burnt. I’ve been drinking these for some years now, and never really been too much of a fan, but I do partake of a single Bigfoot every year to see what’s what at the big SN. Sorry, this year, it’s a big “Don’t buy.” Maybe I just got a bad batch, but I doubt it.

I drank the missing links too.

Incidentally fellow beer snobs, did you know that apparently people will pay (beer) money for your old beer bottlecaps? Yep. I've got a good 350+ different caps here from the last few years. Pacific Northwest and all... Seems almost a shame that the best ones don't bother to put anything distinctive on their caps. On a barely related note, please customize your new "Print Friendly" buttons! It's like someone went on a tagging spree and puked green gobs all over yer blogs. Eesh.

Jefferson State Ale

Had one last week. Damn fine stuff. Look for it!

In other non-dungeony news (digressions I said), I came across this old email the other day whilst archiving some old items....

Man, we used to throw some wild Pink Floyd themed parties! Sadly, this particular special effect never manifested (obviously for budgetary reasons). I can no longer watch the Wizard of Oz without turning the volume down...

Magic Vermouth

It’s been awhile since I reviewed anything, so here’s one for ye. Today’s subject is a vermouth.

Encyclopedia Britannica describes vermouth thusly:

“Vermouth, A wine-based fortified drink flavoured with aromatic herbs. The name derives from the German Vermut, or “wormwood”, a bitter herb and traditional ingredient of vermouth and absinthe. As many as 40 different herbs and flavourings may be used in vermouth, including juniper, cloves, quinine, orange peel, nutmeg, and coriander; the vermouths of various producers are flavoured according to closely guarded recipes. There are two styles of vermouth: the so-called French, or dry style, which is white, and the Italian, or sweet style, which is darker in colour. Both styles, however, are made in both countries, as well as ... To Continue reading activate your no-risk Free Trial to Britannica Online.” Hail Britannica! Maybe I should have consulted Wikipedia instead.

I can think of several cocktail recipes that call for vermouth, but if they have more than two ingredients, I can’t be bothered. There are two drinks I make with vermouth. One is a Manhattan, to be served to the ladies in the room. The other is of course the venerable martini. Not a "vodka martini", or any number of vodka infused drinks that might pass as a martini in less refined places. Not to this old schooler - a martini must have gin in it. Gin and dry vermouth. Or just the gin, thank you, with the quick obeisance of a bottle of vermouth, held out thoughtfully for a moment before being put away again.

However, Imbue, a locally (Oregon) produced vermouth describing itself as "bittersweet" was poured out to me just the other day by my friend Dr. Grimme. Yes, that’s really his name, and he is a doctor. He pronounces it “Grimmy” of course, but that doesn’t stop us from referring to him in low and serious tones when he’s not around. But I digress, Dr. Grimme first mixed for me what’s referred to as an upside down or inverted martini. This is where the amounts of gin and vermouth respectively are reversed. Heresy! I was willing to try it though, as the doctor had proven himself on more than one occasion to be a connoisseur of fine potions.

And it was indeed a very nice drink - but how would the vermouth fare when not paired with the top shelf gin in my glass? The good doctor indulged me with a shot of the vermouth by itself, and I was very impressed by its complexity and flavor. It seemed an equal to a fine gin, and the reason for it not being relegated to a supporting role became clear.

I was happy to accept the bottle he gave me to take home for further testing - where I immediately decided to see if it would play nice as second fiddle to a lesser gin. As those who spoke to me later that evening can attest, the experiment turned out wonderfully! So much so that another rare journey to the liquor store seems to be in order, now that the gin has run out. Well, I suppose there is some vodka in the freezer…

Review: Kraken Black Spiced Rum

Today I made the rare journey to the liquor store to replenish the stocks. I’m somewhat of a sucker for novelty offerings when it comes to purchasing liquor, although I do have standards. The bottle and artwork of Kraken managed to reel me in, and its price of $17.95 didn’t break the bank, even with the previously mentioned budget cuts. From a certain perspective, it was a cost effective purchase, though weak kneed land lubbers should take note: the creature within is a healthy 94 proof.

I don’t look up reviews of liquor or beer before occasionally gambling on a particular purchase, unlike most of the wine snobs I know. I’m proud to say that’s part of what separates us beer and boozing types from that crowd. Consequently I am often sorely disappointed or very pleasantly surprised from these somewhat risky purchases. Today, I’m happy to say, was profitable.

A brief background first… I do have one friend who is a rum aficionado, but my own expertise is in the area of single malt whiskies for the most part, and I can say that I was once offered my own TV show segment to be called “Rob the Beer Snob” which I declined out of respect to my wife and dogs. There’s something about being able to walk into a local establishment and not be called out to as “Norm” or the nearest local equivalent in this case.

So knowing little to nothing about rum, I still believe my highly refined whiskey tasting palette can discern the difference between pirate rotgut and fresh water in the doldroms. So take what I have to say next with a grain of salt:

I liked it quite a bit. I was immediately struck by a taste of cocoa, and surprised at the strength of the stuff (this was before I looked more closely at the label to determine its proof). What’s this? It’s bottled in Indiana? Well, I’ll overlook that here. They make some fine moonshine in those parts, who am I to say that they couldn’t make a decent rum as well? Mind you it does give some pause. That’s pretty much it. You can always rely on the meat of this type of review here to last about a sentence or two.

Now following this first taste I suggested to my wife that she should really try some. Normally she would vigorously turn down such an offer, knowing that I favor rye and other whiskeys that make her face scrunch up and force her to consider the location of the nearest sink. In this case, I specifically pointed out beforehand that it was rum. Not only did she taste it, she took another hit from the bottle, which I distinctly heard glug more than once, and after which, she swallowed and planted a wet kiss upon my lucky lips. Especially lucky was the fact that she was wearing some kind of coconut scented lip balm, whose bouquet married the still rich aftertaste and fumes of the high-octane Kraken in a most delirium inducing fashion. Wonderful! After this I poured a bunch over ice and found that it was delectable this way too, although I wasn’t quite ready for its edge on an empty stomach. I did not find a host of subtle herbs and flavors though, mostly just a straight cocoa and coffee flavor with a slight bitterness that still held an appeal.

With anything other than vodka, I’m reluctant to mix the spirit in question with something that might mask its flavor. I am an art critic, not a drunk! So as to whether you might be able to decently make zombies or what have you from this rum is hard for me to say, but I will say this: It’s very good all on its own or on the rocks. Don’t wreck yourself though, it is strong stuff and might sneak up on you. For mixed drinks, I’d go to a lower shelf spirit. For myself, I can see it being occasionally sipped over ice and lasting longer in the bottle than my usual favorites.

Postscript: By the gods these folks know how to put out a media kit - like something you'd find on Propomicon. Not a bad website either.

The New Free Dice Bag, A Review, Sorta...

I’m not very confident about writing reviews of new OS products, even though I end up buying a lot of them. After all, most of you have much more experience with the game than myself, certainly in the last year at least. I know experience doesn’t necessarily equal greater insight...still, I hesitate. Yesterday, however, I found a product that I was comfortable reviewing.

I should start this decadent review off by saying that at first I was a Scotch drinker. I never liked bourbon, and though the first few Scotches I tasted almost made me toss, it’s possible that the taste buds of those under the age of thirty are simply not mature enough to appreciate most Scotches. On the other hand, from the younger perspective, you simply cannot trust a Scotch drinker. In any event, I somehow persevered and eventually discovered Balvenie Doublewood. Their Singlewood or Portwood are also fantastic, esp. the latter. As years went by and more people found Balvenie, the price went up. And then, sadly, there were budget cuts. So I downgraded slightly to single malt Irish whisky. At last here I settled on Jameson 1780. Quite nice and cost effective. Unfortunately, there were further budget cuts. American bourbon it was to be! After flirting with Knob Creek (nice, but it will never be smooth) and some locally produced (Oregon) whisky, among other things, I finally settled on Sazerac Rye (originally from New Orleans), a wonderful compromise between flavor, smoothness, and price. A nose of “Vanilla, clove, anise and pepper”, taste of “Candied spices and citrus”, and a “Smooth, licorice and smoked pepper” finish. Yum! Even more recently though, I’ve journeyed into the spirits land of the Canadians. I’ve spent many summers on the shores of the St. Lawrence and a couple of years living only a short drive to Niagara Falls - time enough to occasionally let loose an “Eh?” after a great amount of libation. It seems natural or familiar somehow, perhaps similar to my return to D&D, that I should have evolved or revolved to the mapley sweetness of Canada's own interpretation of whisky.

So more recently I’ve been picking up the Pendleton Canadian Whisky. I try to be a localist as a consumer, so I was initially attracted to it as it seemed to be made here. But the fact is, it’s only bottled in Oregon, hence it’s still Canadian. Thank Thor for this particular orlæg. If you like Canadian Whisky, you have to try it.

Of course before I stumbled on this, the ichor of the gods, I dabbled again with Crown Royal. Yes, a little sad. I really did need a dice bag after all those years, and it was tried and true. Well, anyhow, two birds with one stone, or debit card as it was.

But then, just yesterday, I made the rare (ahem) journey to the liquor store to procure more Pendleton, and saw a strange and new offering on the shelf - Canadian Club. The name was very familiar, but here was a startling thing - a bag! A bag perhaps to challenge the supremacy of the Crown Royal purple dice bag of yore! Taking stock, it turned out that if I bought a smaller than usual bottle of Pendleton, I could also buy the bottle of Canadian Club and get the FREE BLACK dice bag. It’s possible that these Canadian Club bags have been around for awhile and I just noticed ‘em, but still, here’s the review:

I like it. The whisky that is.

I decided to write down my thoughts immediately after drinking it so as not to be swayed by the opinions of others. Here’s what I wrote...

Smooth. Not as sweet as Crown Royal (as far as memory serves). Nice, quick finish, but lacking the subtlety and spice of Pendleton.

So after writing these few words I googled “Canadian Club vs. Crown Royal” and found this review, with which I agree 100%.

Ah, but what about the dice bag you say? Well sir, it’s crap. Number one, it’s simply too large. Much larger than the Crown Royal bag. Number two, the material! Not soft! Rough and cheap! And where are the reinforcing extra gold stitches to be found on the CR bag? Nothing like those here. And the drawstring? Also cheap. Finally, the stitched words themselves are far too verbose, in comparison to the simple and proud “Crown Royal” to be found on the classic purple bags.

Really, it’s a shame. A black bag, of comparable quality to the CR bag, might have resulted in several hundred extra sales, because generally black is cooler than purple. Even the wordiness of the CC bag might have been overlooked if the cloth and pull string were better made. Twas not to be, gentle readers. So I urge you, implore you even, to not impulse buy this whisky, as I did, based purely on the appearance of this (new?) marketing scheme. You will be disappointed.

Only slightly though, two birds with one stone after all. :-)

Mmm, St. Germain and Dungeon!

My wife and I each took a shot of St. Germain and played a game of Dungeon! today. She played as a Hero, and I took the Magic User. Josiah was going to join us but had to bail with a better offer (free pass to the county fair: carnival rides & cotten candy, who could blame him?).

To quote Camille: "I'm gonna fight an Orange Monster!" ...Beginner's luck, she kicked my ass... I still can't get her to play a solo game of Labyrinth Lord a la Chgowiz, but I'll keep trying.